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Things aren’t getting any better between Teen Mom OG stars Ryan Edwards and Maci Bookout. The one-time couple have been on the outs for years, but during the Monday, September 2 reunion, the soon-to-be father of three blamed his ex for the strained relationship he has with his first son, Bentley. While chatting with the show’s hosts, Dr. Drew and Nessa, he and wife Mackenzie Edwards open up about why they have a poor relationship with Bentley — and why it’s Maci’s fault. Check out the gallery below to see what the stars had to say.
During the reunion, Maci, 28, opened up about the tough times she and her family have had over the course of the season and how that was made more difficult by Ryan serving a several-month sentence behind bars.
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Courtesy of Maci Bookout/Instagram
Legal Issues
Though Maci’s restraining order prevents her and Ryan, 31, from communicating directly, she did want him to be a bigger part of Bentley’s life. Unfortunately, she feels like she’s over trying to talk to him about it.
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Courtesy of Maci Bookout/Instagram
Giving Up
When Dr. Drew points out that dropping the order would open up a line of communication between the parents — and allow Maci to express to Ryan what she needs out of him as a dad — she’s not interested.
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Courtesy of Maci Bookout/Instagram
Over It
“I feel like I’ve done that so many times,” she said. Though she admits it’s possible he hasn’t heard it because he’s been in the throes of his addiction issues, she only has so much energy to keep trying.
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Courtesy of Maci Bookout/Instagram
Healing Relationship
She also thinks that the restraining order has been good for them. “Honestly, I think for both Ryan and myself, this past year not talking to each other, has been good,” she said during the reunion.
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Courtesy of Maci Bookout/Instagram
Baby Steps
“I’ve been able to kind of work through my process and what I think of him, my anger and all of that, without him and I getting in another argument, you know?” she explained.
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Courtesy of Mackenzie Edwards/Instagram
Pushing Back
Ryan doesn’t agree, though. When Dr. Drew and Nessa had him and Mack come out later in the show, they had their own opportunity to talk about their relationship with Bentley and his mom.
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Courtesy of Ryan Edwards /Instagram
Going the Distance
While opening up about his addiction issues and getting sober, Ryan admitted that “it’s kind of hard to explain” what he’s been through to a 10-year-old, but he’s tried to talk about it “a little bit.”
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Courtesy of Ryan Edwards /Instagram
Pointing the Finger
Mostly, though, he thinks Maci is responsible for him not having a better relationship with his firstborn. When Dr. Drew asked Ryan what he thought of Maci saying he was more like an uncle or friend to Bentley, he fired back.
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Courtesy of Maci Bookout/Instagram
Call Out
“Maci talks a lot of s–t,” he told the show’s hosts. “I’m tired of being nice about the situation. He’s mine, too. He’s not just hers. And it doesn’t matter what she says.”
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Courtesy of Ryan Edwards /Instagram
Speaking Out
“It matters what I know and what really happens and what I see,” he continued. “And she can say I’m his uncle. She can say — I don’t give a f–k, to be honest.”
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Courtesy of Maci Bookout/Instagram
To the Point
When Dr. Drew prompted him to acknowledge that he may just be frustrated because of how his illness has affected his relationship with his son, the star responded, “What is affecting my relationship with Bentley is Maci.”
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Courtesy of Ryan Edwards /Instagram
Assigning Blame
“I don’t know what she tells him about me. I’m sure some of it’s probably not good. And then, you know, she goes on TV and she says whatever she wants,” he claimed.
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Courtesy of Ryan Edwards /Instagram
Working Together
When Nessa wondered if they would be able to get to the bottom of the problem by simply communicating with each other, he shot back, “First, we would have to build a relationship together, you know?”
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Courtesy of Mackenzie Edwards/Instagram
Mack’s Side
That’s when his wife stepped in. “To make it better, what has to happen is, No. 1, either that restraining order has to be lifted or we have to wait until next May when it goes away,” Mack, 22, said.
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MTV
No Progress
“Last year we were sitting here at this reunion and I was backstage and I heard [Maci] tell Dr. Drew that she was going to go home and lift it, and here we are however many months later, and it’s still not lifted,” she said. “And you wonder why Ryan doesn’t reach out to you? Because he legally can’t.”
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MTV
Staying Mad
Of course, Maci has reason to hold back. In June, a trailer for the show revealed that Maci is “still angry” about the threats Ryan made in the past. At this point, we’re not sure the parents will ever resolve their relationship — and they’ve got a long way to go.
